阿尔勒城外果树开花

Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), 阿尔勒, 1889年4月

布面油画, 53.5 cm x 65.5 cm
Credits: 凡高美术馆，阿姆斯特丹（文森特·凡高基金会）

The twisted branches of the tree in the right foreground are cut off by the edges of the canvas. Van Gogh and his brother Theo had a joint collection of Japanese woodcuts. Vincent said that these made him happy and cheerful. He also took many ideas from them for his own art.

Like many of his contemporaries, Van Gogh was inspired by the Japanese style of visual representation. Subjects were sometimes shown in close-up in the foreground or cut off abruptly at the edge of the picture. Van Gogh was also drawn to the attention paid in Japanese prints to details from nature. Flowering orchards were a frequent subject. Van Gogh still had these models in mind in 1888, when he painted a series of orchards in blossom.